Statin Use May Improve Overall Survival From Multiple Myeloma

A new study has found that use of statin medications in patients with multiple myeloma was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality. The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers hypothesized statins’ effect on mortality because the therapy is active in one of the pathways affected by nitrogen- containing bisphosphonates, which have been associated with prolonged survival in patients with multiple myeloma.

They analyzed data from 4,957 U.S. veterans who were diagnosed with multiple myeloma between 1999 and 2013 who were included in the Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry. Of those, 2,294 patients were taking a statin medication within three months before or after their cancer diagnosis.

The researchers found a 21% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality and a 24% reduction in myeloma-specific mortality in patients who used statins. It was also associated with a 31% reduction in the risk of developing a skeletal-related event.

Prospective trials are needed to confirm the results, the researchers noted.